Manifestations in the Dark
by Tif S
Summary: AU: Cisco Ramon has never had a home until he is taken in by Harrison Wells, a man with a troubled past and a tarnished legacy. When Wells is kidnapped by those seeking revenge, Cisco believes there must be an answer in the lab. Who he finds instead is a young man who died three years earlier, and a chance to help find his foster father. Teen!Cisco Ghost!Barry
1. Prologue

_**A/N: Hello fellow Flash fans. In my usual tradition of attempting a pretty major AU story in a fandom, I finally landed on a good and proper idea that seemed worth trying out. It's called Manifestations in the Dark, and it is already quite different from many of my other Flash projects. At any rate, I own nothing but my OCs and the plot.**_

* * *

 **Prologue: Harrison's Disgrace**

The Particle Accelerator Explosion was a life changing event for many, a life taking event for others and a life shattering event for one man, Dr. Harrison Wells. I had known Harrison for about two years before it happened. Before the explosion, he was a well respected scientist, one of the brilliant minds in his field: an obsessive-compulsive, meticulous, maddeningly serious, and sometimes severe teacher to those who worked with him. Harrison Wells was also a devoted father to his daughter, young Jesse, who was all of fourteen the day her father's life changed forever, and by extent her own.

The day it happened seemed to be an ordinary day by most standards. The interns and the scientists on site had protocol just in case the worst happened. They didn't expect the worst to happen though. Who does when you work on something for as long as they had worked on the Particle Accelerator? After all, they had every backup in place, every possible safety drill practiced and perfected, every precautionary measure implemented, but science is fickle. Even a field with as many procedures and precedents has its flaws.

The Particle Accelerator explosion could be called a flaw, rather like the minute hidden detail that allowed the destruction of the Death Star, except no one intended for this to happen. There were no plans to retrieve, no battalions, just a few lone employees trying to ensure things went smoothly.

After it happened, STAR Labs was forgotten, ignored by most. A blip in the corner of the eye of wary tourists, terrified citizens and one young man who quite accidentally found himself in the middle of the secrets of that night, all in an effort to save his newfound family.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Let me know what you think.**_


	2. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Well, I got chapter one done. This chapter sets up some of the new background. The only characters I own in this chapter are Greg Denshoe and Hanna Jordan.**_

* * *

 **Chapter One:Another New Home**

Cisco Ramon sat in the back of the van huffing a sigh as he leaned against the window. There was no real way to judge their destination. He didn't know Central City all that well. His last home had been with a man named Rip Hunter who lived in a two bedroom apartment at the edge, the border between Star City and Central City, and the part that could _barely_ be considered Central City. The home before that with a woman named Moira Queen in Star City. Central City was a mystery to him, only through stories told by his former foster brother who would sometimes take business trips with his stepfather did he know anything at all about the city's history.

"You gonna tell me anything?" Cisco said. "Shouldn't I at least know something before you drop me at another door?"

"This placement was a last resort." The man in the front passenger seat grumbled, Mr. Denshoe, not Cisco's social worker, but some government scrub that had to make sure Hanna Jordan was doing her job properly.

"The Wells family is lovely." Hanna said.

"Lovely…" Denshoe scoffed. "That old kook blew half the city to bits."

Blew the city… now Cisco was listening.

"It was three years ago Greg."

"If you ask me...ain't no wonder guy has to get a foster license. No one else would step two feet near him. He and the kid are a perfect match."

"He has a daughter." Hanna said. "And he is well suited. Ran the check myself."

"Why they even granted him a license, I don't understand. Guy's a murderer."

Cisco tuned out the rest of what was being said. So they were placing him with just anyone...someone who sounded like either a crackpot or if Denshoe was to be believed...a criminal. Hanna said he had a daughter though. Would they really leave a kid with someone that dangerous? Although...with him, it didn't really matter all that much did it? He was the at risk case, bat crazy and downright sick if Moira's new husband was to be believed. The nightmares had begun again in earnest about a week ago, after Rip Hunter had told Hanna that he could no longer take care of him. Hunter was a soldier and had been deployed, no family to speak of that could take over fostering duties in his stead. It had been a hard goodbye.

Living with the Queens hadn't been too bad, but Moira's husband Walter hadn't exactly been welcoming. Moira tried her best to be a good mother, but they were a high profile family, and having a son even a foster, on the crazy train wasn't exactly good for their image. It was only thanks to the legalities of the system that he hadn't been stuck in some nuthouse and had been placed with Hunter at all. The only good thing about his time in Star City had been Oliver and Thea. He wondered vaguely how they were doing, but then pushed the thought out of his head. Odds are he wouldn't ever see them again.

"Look, there it is." Hanna nodded vaguely in the direction of the window. "STAR Labs."

Cisco glanced out the window as they passed by a building. It looked relatively well kept, and stretched the length of a city block. Hidden behind the building's girth was a gate, and behind the gate a small house.

"Wells still keeps up the building." Hanna explained. "Even though no one's worked there since the Particle Accelerator."

"Particle Accelerator?" Cisco was interested in science, always had been.

Hanna smiled. From the moment she'd met Cisco Ramon, she'd known he was unique and she was glad to see his curiosity ignited again. No one should have their spirit broken by the system. "It was Dr. Wells' pet project, and was supposed to be the crowning achievement of STAR Labs."

Cisco nodded. "What went wrong?"

"Remember what Denshoe said about blowing half the city to bits? It wasn't as extreme as all that, but it did cause quite a bit of damage. Harrison Wells hasn't been able to continue his work since." She frowned. "He's barely been able to show his face."

"That's rough."

Hanna nodded. "Come on. I know they can't wait to meet you."

* * *

 _ **A/N: So we got a bit of information about Cisco, and they arrived at Dr. Wells'. How'd you like it? Let me know.**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Hey everyone, here with the second chapter. This one was fun to write. Hope you like it. I own nothing other than the plot and my OCs.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Secrets As Chains**

Jesse Wells sat at the kitchen table, watching through the window as the van pulled up. She wasn't sure what to make of having someone to share her house with. She only hoped it would help her dad. He'd seemed excited at the prospect, though it was hard to tell if it was for his own reasons or simply for her sake. There was still no sign of him anywhere in the vicinity, and the car had been turned off. The doors were opening.

"Dad, they're here!"

She heard the sound of typing coming from his study. She rolled her eyes, tried again. "Daddy! My new brother's at the door. He has a gun and he's threatening to shoot us." Still, there was no answer, just the steady sound of keys clicking.

A sharp knock. _For real?_ Jesse sighed and stood from the table as she made her way to the front door. She opened the door to see Mrs. Jordan, the social worker (she'd met her only once during the time when her father had been going through the hoops in order to get a license), and a teenage boy about a year or so younger than Jesse herself. He smiled slightly as he noticed Jesse studying him, but then his gaze dropped to his sneakers as one foot toed the step.

"Hi Jesse," Mrs. Jordan smiled. "This is Cisco Ramon. Cisco," She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jesse Wells."

"Hi." Cisco nodded looking up.

"Hi...um…" She looked over to Mrs. Jordan. "My dad's inside, I don't know what he's doing, but, you can come in and wait." Jesse stepped aside clearing the entryway for both of them.

"Thank you Jesse." Hanna stepped inside, Cisco following suit.

* * *

Harrison Wells stood, banishing the contents of the middle of his desk to the corner with one single, practiced sweep of his hand. There was _nothing_ , absolutely nothing that could indicate what had went wrong. His gaze moved once again, a brief flicker, to the yellowing paper, small dedicated scrawl. Every word on the page was thought out, as was the author's character: _I chose to do this Harry. Whatever happens... Dr. Wells, this was_ my _choice._

It was one sentence on the page out of at least a paragraph or two, but this one sentence seemed less and less true with every read through. And it was this fact that stayed with him...even still. It was this fact that made selling the building an impossibility, because it felt more and more like his responsibility, despite no longer performing any sort of function other than a prop in a citywide myth: contracts, waivers and payrolls notwithstanding. So many lives changed, several more lost, but it was this page, this one fact that kept him awake at night.

"Dad!" A knock on the door. "Mrs. Jordan and Cisco are waiting in the living room." Jesse's voice snapped him fully out of his reminiscence. He walked out the study door shoving the letter with the other discarded papers in the corner, not noticing as it fluttered off the desk, and toward the half open window that faced the old lab's grounds.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So we met Jesse, Jesse met Cisco and vice versa, and Wells is going through some tough stuff. How am I doing? Let me know what you think. I'd love to know.**_


	4. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Hey, here with the next chapter. Once again I own nothing but the plot and my OCs. Enjoy.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Three:Meeting Wells and Well..Daymares?**

Cisco Ramon looked around the house. The living room seemed as though it was barely used. The only television was an old fashioned box set that looked as though it came straight out of the 90's, but in the back of the room was a desk with a high powered laptop. _So they aren't anti-tech?_ Cisco mused. _Just anti-television? Weird._ Usually a foster family wouldn't like to have too much tech. He remembered one instance, back when he was still living with Hunter. He'd tried to mess with one of Hunter's experiments, an AI that he had been working towards creating. After that instance, Hunter had banished the tech to one room in the back of the apartment and he and Cisco would take an hour a day, no more no less, to work on tech related projects. The rest of the time would be spent with him helping Cisco with schoolwork or just simply talking, usually through one of the nightmares, a recurring tradition that had seemed to help, at least until the news of the deployment.

"Cisco," Hanna's voice broke through. "Did you hear me?"

"Huh…?" Cisco shook his head. "Sorry, I guess I spaced out for a second there. What were you saying?"

"I was asking what you thought about this place." Hanna gave an amused smile, but Cisco had learned to see when adults thought something weird was going on, and Hanna definitely had that look.

"Oh...uh…" What _did_ he think? It was definitely different. Not nearly as small as the apartment, not nearly as uselessly massive as the Queens' mansion. The property itself though...Cisco knew that despite the humble means, Dr. Wells had to have some sort of influence, or at least formerly did. Most of the property was taken up by the old lab building. "It's cool." That was one thing he could say for certain. Living within a hair's breadth of the lab would definitely mean he wouldn't be bored. "Kinda strange though." That was another thing. Cisco couldn't put his finger on why, but something about this place made his hair stand on end.

Hanna nodded. "New place, I'm sure it'll take some getting used to."

"Mrs. Jordan, hello." A new voice joined the conversation, brusque, distinctly male. Cisco looked over toward the door to see a man standing in the entryway. His hands were clasped in front of him. His eyes never lingered, that is, until they met Cisco's. "I take it you are the one that's going to be staying with us."

Cisco swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling as though he was behind a piece of glass. Should he answer? "Y...yes…Yes Sir."

The man's lips quirked. It would barely be recognizable as a smile. "If you must know, you can call me Harrison...or Dr. Wells if you feel you have to stay with formality." The man held out a hand. "What do I call you?"

"Cisco...Cisco Ramon." Cisco said. He grabbed the man's hand, and suddenly he was no longer in the living room.

" _, thank you...for the opportunity I mean. I know you didn't have to…" Cisco was watching as a young man stood in a lab, wide eyed with a cup of coffee in one hand, the other pumping Harrison Wells' hand eagerly._

" _I simply thought you deserved an opportunity to do your own work on your own merit." Harrison Wells said. He looked down at the hand pumping his with an unreadable expression._

Just as quickly it was gone. Both Wells and Hanna were looking at Cisco in concern.

"Are you alright?"

Cisco blinked, noticing he was still holding Harrison's hand. He quickly let go backing away a few steps. "Uh...yeah. Yep...migraine." He pointed to his forehead.

"I'll go get some aspirin." Hanna said. "Would you mind directing me Dr. Wells?"

"Certainly." Wells nodded, but his eyes stayed slightly longer on the boy in front of him. "This way."

* * *

Jesse watched the social worker and her father leave the living room, and head in the direction of...the medicine cabinet? Why would they be going to the medicine cabinet? She peeked into the living room to see Cisco sitting on the couch trembling with his head in his hands.

"Hey...I know my dad can be a bit intimidating, but was it really that bad?" She sat beside him.

"Oh!" Cisco suddenly sat up. "Uh...too fast…ow..." He shook his head. "No, Migraine." He winced. "Sorry...Jesse right?"

"You got it." Jesse nodded. She looked him up and down. He was shivering. "Does it...happen a lot?"

Cisco shrugged. "Dunno…"

"You _don't know_?" Jesse said. "Cisco…"

Cisco seemed to realize what he had said shaking his head quickly. "Not that much. It's fine."

Jesse dropped the subject, reluctantly. "So did my dad make you call him Dr. Wells?" She smirked, but her eyes still held some hidden concern.

"He...gave the _option_?" Cisco's face pinched. "It was weird."

"That's Dad for you." Jesse laughed. "You'll get used to him."

"I guess…"

"Hey...can I show you something cool?" Jesse said. "After breakfast tomorrow, I think you'll like it."

"Uh…" Cisco looked at her. He nodded slowly. "Sure."

"Sweet. I've been dying to show someone. None of my friends from school want to come. Think it's insane."

Cisco was beginning to second guess saying yes. "Is it?"

Jesse shrugged. "Depends, do you know about the Particle Accelerator?"

"A...bit…sort of…"

Cisco was going to probe more when they were interrupted by the return of Wells and Hanna with aspirin in hand. Cisco had never been more relieved to see a glass of water.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So...thoughts? Let me know what you think. I'd love to know.**_


	5. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Hi, here with another chapter. This one is extra long. I had an extra long bout of inspiration I guess. I own nothing but my OCs and the plot.**_

* * *

 **Chapter** **Four: First Conversations and A Silent Witness**

Cisco ended up staying in a spare bedroom next door to Jesse's and two doors down from Harrison's study. It wasn't the worst bedroom, reasonably sized and plain, white and blue bedspread. He had a desk, but not much else. Clearly it had been a guest bedroom.

"Dad said you could pick out stuff...if you were up to it." Jesse said. "It's probably not the best, but it's quiet."

"No…" Cisco shook his head. "It's good." Not like he'd get much sleep anyway. "Thanks."

"Sure." Jesse nodded. "So...I think Dad's getting dinner ready. It's spaghetti night, uh...you're not allergic to anything are you?" She winced.

"No…" Cisco raised his eyebrows.

"I grew up around med students, kind of habit now." Jesse laughed. "Happens when you're babysat by undergrads I guess."

"Your dad's a professor?"

"Internships through STAR. Gave a few lectures." Jesse explained. "He'd let university students work with him sometimes." She turned to head out the door. "You coming?"

"Yeah, be down in a minute." Cisco turned back from where he stood near the window.

"Okay." Jesse smiled.

Once she was gone, Cisco turned his attention back to the view outside. He could see the lab building from his window. He felt a shudder pass through him as his mind drifted back to whatever that had been when he had shaken Harrison's hand. Had they been in _that_ lab building? It had to be.

This was different than his usual nightmares. Usually it was him in different situations, sometimes he had been with his brother, sometimes his parents were alive, sometimes it was in the years before the accident that had taken them, sometimes after, sometimes it was before his brother had gotten shifted by the system and sometimes he saw other people entirely, people with strange powers...like the Fantastic Four or the X-Men, people that should only exist in comic books.

They were people he didn't know from Adam. He'd never met them in his life, but they were all in trouble. Or in other cases they were causing the trouble. He'd never had as simple a scene as the one he'd observed earlier, and it didn't seem like it was a _bad_ situation. The man was probably one of those undergrads Jesse had mentioned, and Harrison was offering him a job. The other, far stranger thing was that the nightmare...vision...whatever...it'd happened when he was _awake_.

"Shake it off." Cisco whispered to himself. "It's nothing." He turned away from the window and walked out the door towards where dinner was waiting.

* * *

Dinner was oddly quiet. Apparently Harrison Wells was not much of a talker, and the looks he kept giving from across the table, didn't exactly radiate parental welcome...moreso the feeling of being observed for any sort of maladies. Cisco was sure it wasn't the man's fault. He was a scientist by trade, but it still made him squirm slightly in his chair, especially after earlier.

"This is really good..." Cisco gestured toward the food with a nod.

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it." Harrison replied. His tone didn't betray a thing, no amusement, gratitude, any of the sort of feelings you would expect from a grown man receiving compliments from a high school kid. It simply _was_. "So...Ramon, anything we should know? You've probably already googled me."

Cisco choked, shaking his head. "N...no. I haven't actually. Should I have?"

Jesse shot her father a look. What was wrong with him? "No." She said. "Dad's just _paranoid_ right?"

"Uh...well…" Cisco's eyes dropped to his plate as he moved the pasta around. "I like science...physics mostly. I know a lot about computers….and uh I think that's about it."

Harrison for his part simply nodded.

"What about you?" Cisco asked.

"Jesse's a fair scientist herself." Harrison said. "As for me...I don't share."

"You... _don't_ share?" Cisco frowned.

"No."

"Dad...that's not fair." Jesse sighed.

"Not the right moment." Harrison said.

"Don't worry about it." Cisco finished eating a while ago. "May I be excused?"

Harrison nodded.

* * *

 _Central City Bank was busy. The man and the woman entered. Everybody was panicking, hiding behind the counter, children were crying, women screaming. This was a break in. The woman threw something down, and then everybody seemed to drop at once, snoring. They were asleep. The man stepped past the sleeping teller at the counter, and entered the vaults._

Cisco woke up gasping.

* * *

Joe West was perplexed. He'd been a detective with the CCPD since his daughter was young, and he'd never seen a situation like this.

"They were all asleep...when the break in happened. Every last one of them." Frankie Senero glanced up. "And…" The young man lifted a gloved hand rolling what appeared to be grains of sand in between his fingertips.

"So you're saying the people at the bank were attacked by some sorta _Sandman_?" David Singh narrowed his eyes.

"In a matter of speaking, I suppose so Captain." The young man sniffed. "And whatever they were after, they got it, $200,000 worth."

"They?" Joe examined Frankie. "As in more than one?"

"Generally…" Frankie sighed. "The boot treads, there are two sets." He pointed, and sure enough, Joe saw two, one a smaller set one much larger.

"Right." Singh said. "Senero, finish processing what you can." He jerked his head toward the other side of the room, out of earshot. "You buy this?" He asked Joe once they were out of earshot. "A sandman?"

"I don't know." Joe shook his head. "I mean what kind of crazy trails in the whole of the Central City beachfront with him...and then the witnesses being put to sleep, it's all a bit...weird."

"Chemical attack?" Singh said.

"Like terrorism?" Joe crossed his arms. "Isn't that a bit high profile for Central?"

"Makes a hell of a lot more sense than Sandman." Singh replied. He examined the other man, noticing the exhaustion in his eyes. "Joe...why don't you head home? Today's...isn't it?"

Joe blinked looking at his boss. "Captain...I...I'm fine."

"Just go." Singh waved him away. "We've got it covered."

"O...okay." Joe sighed. "Thank you."

Joe left the crime scene. It wasn't until he reached the car that the gravity of the situation hit him, the favor that Singh had done...and the tears. It never became any easier, no matter how many years had passed. He felt a chill in the air...pulled his coat tighter against it before he turned on the car along with the heat, and pulled away.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So...a lot happened. I hope I won't be progressing too slowly with Wells and Cisco bonding. Even though this isn't a regular universe Flash Story, I'm still trying to keep the relationships as close to canon as possible...and Wells is complicated. Hope it doesn't deter. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Hi, chapter five ready. This was another fun one. Hope you like it.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Inkling**

Jesse was worried. She could tell her dad was too, though he'd never admit it. The way he kept looking over to the hallway where the bedrooms were gave it away. "Did you see him getting ready?" He asked Jesse.

"His door was shut when I passed by. I...thought so."

He nodded pursing his lips. Before Jesse could say anything further, he walked away.

"Dad…" As he disappeared around the corner, Jesse shook her head, but she was smiling.

* * *

Cisco glanced over at the clock: 10:00AM flashed in angry red letters on the clock face, but he couldn't bring himself to move. He'd barely gotten four hours of sleep. It'd been worse this time, flashing from one scene to the next, a robbery, back to the lab with that man...he wasn't sure who he was, but he was working on something important...and there was something sort of familiar about the whole thing, like he knew the process. But he didn't know why. Whatever science he was doing was way too advanced for junior physics. Then this morning… the clock on the detective's dashboard had said eight o'clock...he'd seen a crime scene, but his attention had been focused on the detective as he walked back to his car, holding back tears. For some reason Cisco grew upset as he watched, agitated, despite not knowing who the man was. Something made him want to get his attention, but he couldn't. The feeling remained even now, a dim overcast that was keeping him in bed.

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. "Ramon…" The door opened revealing Harrison. "Breakfast is ready if you're hungry." He noticed the teenager's back turned, facing the window. "Cisco…" He stepped into the room walking toward the bed. He reached down putting a hand on his shoulder.

The boy shuddered and tensed at the contact.

"Can you look at me?"

"Harry…" The boy's voice came out a whisper, but the form of address...was one Harrison hadn't heard in a long time. And certainly not one he had told Cisco of.

He jerked his hand back, stepping away, the significance of the day coming back in a giant wave. Perhaps it was only his imagination.

"Dr. Wells…" Cisco sat up blinking. "I'm sorry...I guess I didn't get much sleep last night." He looked over. "Did you say breakfast was ready?"

"Um...yes." Harrison watched, slightly confused.

"Great." He looked over noticing the man looked...off. "Everything okay?"

Harrison nodded, pulling himself together. "Perfectly well Ramon. I was only checking to make sure you were okay."

Cisco nodded, glancing carefully at him. "Yeah, fine...you're sure nothing's wrong?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with." Harrison answered.

 _Right, you don't share._ Cisco shook his head as he stood, walking out of the room.

* * *

Breakfast went much the same as dinner had the day before, with the exception of the fact that Harrison was the first to leave the table, down the hall to his study.

"We're all good." Jesse said. "He'll be in there all day."

"All...good for what?"

"Don't you remember...I had something to show you?"

"Oh…" That's right. "Yeah."

"Come on!" Jesse rolled her eyes grabbing his hand.

Cisco could barely keep his balance as Jesse dragged him past the hallway towards the back entrance of the house and out the door.

The back of the house was pristine. It was a large expanse of grass with a stone path that led to a gate which opened and led to the lab building.

"So what exactly do you know about the Particle Accelerator?" Jesse asked.

The question took Cisco aback. "Uh...nothing really…"

"You've lived here and you don't know about it?"

"I haven't exactly been in Central City very long." Cisco said.

"Well you're gonna love this then." Jesse dragged him down the path, grabbing a key out of her pocket as she opened the gate, closing it behind them and locking it before reaching for another key that opened the lab building, and leading him inside.

The inside of the building was dark, but once Cisco's eyes adjusted, he noticed an elevator ahead of them. "Dad kept the electricity working, so we should be able to get there pretty quick."

"Get...where exactly?"

Jesse flipped the light switch as the lights in the hallway glowed to life. "The Pipeline."

As they walked, Cisco's eyes went everywhere. The lab appeared to still be in working order...if completely... abandoned. Hanna had said Wells kept up the building so this was unsurprising. What was surprising was the feeling of complete panic as they came closer to their destination. His gaze flicked around...and suddenly the building wasn't empty anymore.

" _What happened? What's going on?" A young woman turned to the two men beside her as alarms blasted. One was the same young man from before, sans the usual grin, the other was a man who was slightly older and wore a ring...a wedding ring, the same ring that was on the woman's finger._

" _It's...malfunctioning."_

" _What do you mean malfunctioning...Bar...Ronnie?"_

 _Before the woman could finish her inquiry, the two men had run past her...towards the source of the sound._

"Cisco!" Cisco blinked finding himself suddenly back as they stood in front of a doorway. "Where'd you go?" Jesse looked concerned.

"I'm fine." Cisco gave a half smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He looked at the doorway in front of him. "So...this is the pipeline?"

Jesse pulled out what appeared to be a key card of sorts, waving it in front of the door as the red light turned green. "We just call it that...this actually used to be the Particle Accelerator, this is the one part of the lab Dad hasn't touched."

"So...you want to show me the most dangerous part of the lab?" Cisco's voice climbed.

"Scared?"

"Course not." Cisco sighed.

Jesse smirked. "Come on then."

"I…"

"You're not going anywhere." The voice stopped them in their tracks.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Let me know what you think.**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Hey! Chapter six is ready. Once again, I own nothing but my plot and my OCs.**_

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Not a Guardian Angel**

Cisco turned toward the sound, but he didn't see anyone. Jesse appeared not to notice, although she was frozen in place.

"Cisco… can you let me go, this isn't funny." Jesse squirmed.

"I...it's not me.

"Jess, you know, this is getting really old." The voice again. "It's bad enough _I_ had to deal with it." This time, Cisco looked over and saw someone behind Jesse with a hand on her shoulder, the same someone who he'd seen when he'd shaken Wells' hand the day before.

Cisco looked over to Jesse. She still didn't seem to notice. "Cisco...knock it off."

"Okay." Cisco said, confused, but playing along. He looked at the stranger.

Now the stranger's face fell as he released his grip on Jesse's shoulder. His eyes locked onto Cisco. He looked tired, more so than before. "What were you _thinking_?"

Cisco didn't know what to do. Did he answer?

"Cisco!" Jesse said. She was already at the elevator, the button pushed to take them upstairs. "Are you coming?"

"You go ahead." Cisco said. "I'll catch up."

"Do you even know how to get out of here?" Jesse grinned in amusement.

"I can read an exit sign."

"Okay…" The elevator dinged as the doors opened. "You're sure?"

"I'll be fine."

Jesse shook her head looking as confused as Cisco felt by the sudden urge to stay. "Oh...kay. Don't take too long." She entered the elevator as the doors closed.

"I should've known." The stranger's voice could be heard again, this time eerily close.

Cisco turned. "What the hell? It's not cool to just...sneak up on people like that!"

"Been a while I guess." He shrugged, and this time Cisco allowed himself a closer look. He looked about twenty two years old. He was dressed in a lab coat with the same insignia that dawned the side of the building: the STAR labs logo. His hair was a dusty brown styled back out of his eyes. Underneath the lab coat, Cisco could see a blue STAR labs t-shirt, and as he looked down, he noticed the man was wearing a pair of white running shoes.

"What do you mean...a while? Why couldn't Jesse…?"

The stranger continued, talking fast, seemingly not even addressing Cisco at this point as he paced. "I've tried every time...but they still don't notice. I shouldn't be surprised...I mean I was there, so technically that should be it, but it isn't. But why…?"

"Hey! Dude, uh...I'm lost here. Can you slow down a little bit..what should be _it_?"

"Oh," Suddenly his whole demeanor changed as he finally noticed Cisco was still there. "Sorry...I...do that sometimes. I guess I'm not used to people listening." The man rubbed the back of his neck. "My name's Barry...Barry Allen."

"Cisco Ramon." Cisco nodded. "Uh...okay, question...why couldn't Jesse see you? Am I going crazy or...is there an actual reason?"

Barry frowned. "No...there's a reason."

"And that is?"

Barry sighed. "Three years ago today...I helped Dr. Wells with the particle accelerator."

Cisco stepped back. "If you helped Wells with the particle accelerator, and Jesse can't see you…" He was doing the math in his head. "No. No way! This did not just turn into the _Sixth Sense_."

"Well, you don't look ten years old." Barry said. "And I'm not a therapist. So there's that."

"Not. Helping." Cisco leaned against the wall. "Come on wake up, wake up." He groaned blinking hard. When he opened his eyes, Barry was gone. "Whew…"

"Good nap?"

Cisco turned around and Barry was behind him. "Seriously?"

"Sorry…" Barry laughed.

"Not funny. At all."

"I know." Barry sighed. "I know."

"So what...unfinished business? Some sort of light you have to find?"

"Now who's not being funny?"

"I just thought…"

"If I knew, you think I'd still be here?" Barry snapped. As Cisco's frown deepened, Barry groaned. "Like I said, not used to people listening."

"Sure." Cisco said. "No worries, I think you have that right."

"So you're Wells' new foster kid?"

Cisco was taken aback. "How…?"

"I've been watching Harry and Jesse since it happened. I keep up." Barry smirked...could ghosts...spirits...actually smirk?

"So you're a stalker?"

Barry shook his head. "No, I just owe them a lot. Figured if I'm stuck here, might as well look out."

"So you're like a guardian angel?"

"I wouldn't call it that." Barry began walking away toward the elevator.

"Hey wait up." Cisco jogged after him. "Why not?"

The elevator dinged, and with it….

 _Cisco saw the house. Jesse had just walked in, the door had been unlocked, the lock broken somehow. "Weird…" Jesse muttered. "Dad!" She ran through the kitchen, into the living room to see...a complete mess. The laptop had been thrown to the ground...shattered in frustration after multiple failed logon attempts, the couch cushions thrown to the floor in disarray. Cisco could feel the panic as acutely as Jesse. "Daddy!" Jesse ran out of the living room and towards the study checking the bedrooms, before she finally reached the study. The same mess greeted her there...and no sign of her father. Jesse fell to the floor in the middle of the strewn papers. "Daddy!"_

"I...I have to get home!" Cisco blinked. "I have to get home...now."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Let me know what you think.**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Another chapter ready. This one is slightly shorter, but a lot happens. Once again I do not own the Flash, CW and DC does. I only own my plot and the OCs.**_

* * *

 __ **Chapter** **Seven: He's Missing**

Barry didn't think he'd ever seen someone push an elevator button as many times as Cisco was currently pushing the button for the M floor, and Dr. Wells had been his boss. He was tempted to point this out, but the look of complete and total fear on the boy's face stopped him.

"Come on… come on." Cisco's leg was shaking as the elevator shuddered and started.

"Where…" Barry started. "Where'd you go just now?" It probably wasn't the right question to ask, hell, the kid didn't even look interested in talking, but there wasn't much else to do in an old elevator. Though Barry knew he could easily leave the boy and end up at the designated floor much faster than the car went, it didn't feel right to do so. He hadn't allowed himself such distance that it would be acceptable, though he knew others that held this sentiment.

At first, nothing much had changed. They remained trying to puzzle through what had happened, in hopes of informing loved ones. Soon though, it was clear that this was futile. As the years passed, the group decreased in size. Some found the light after ensuring themselves that loved ones were relatively fine. Others still resigned themselves to wandering, distancing themselves from social normalities that had colored their interactions when alive. Barry knew one in particular that he had to guide away. His name in life had been Gregory "never Greg" Wadowski, a snobbish and unpleasant coworker who blamed Harrison Wells for every failing both prior to and long after the Particle Accelerator. He'd decided that the best course of action would be haunting Jesse Wells. That year had been difficult, but there had not been a sign of anyone else since, nor any sign of Barry's own path to whatever came next.

"Huh?" Cisco looked up shaking his head. "Uh… nothing. I just remembered Dr. Wells wanted us home before five."

Barry frowned catching a glimpse of the watch the boy wore on his wrist. "It's 4:50. And you spaced for at least ten minutes before you even got in."

"Why do you care?"

"You just look kinda sick." Barry said. "Did...you see something?"

Cisco scoffed. "You're kidding right?" But his face was that of someone who'd been caught sticking his head in a forbidden room.

Before Barry could probe further, the elevator door opened, and the boy ran out and towards the exit sign.

* * *

 _Harrison Wells couldn't see. He could barely move, and his head throbbed dangerously, frequently. He lifted his head, placing a hand to his face, only to find that both hands moved with the motion, then came away sticky. Was he cuffed? There was only one source of light, a small crack at the bottom of a doorway, a doorway that was across the room, along with a dusty light switch. The space was big, open, and yet...Harrison had never felt more trapped. He saw a table with tools, and another with a lamp and a group of very specific scientific equipment._ Jesse. Where's Jesse?

" _Dr. Wells, wonderful to make your acquaintance at last. I've heard so much about you." It was a man's voice, somehow distorted, but clearly male. The figure was covered in shadow, so Harrison was not able to make out who exactly he was speaking to._

" _None of it good by the looks of these accommodations." Harrison replied._

" _Sense of humor...admirable." The man said._

" _Who said anything about humor. It's the truth isn't it? What did you do to them?"_

" _The...children…" The man's voice rose almost in amusement. "Oh nothing...absolutely nothing. They are unharmed. You were the one I needed. It was quite lucky you were alone. As long as you cooperate, they will be fine."_

* * *

Cisco found himself in the middle of the path, fallen at some point clearly. He looked around. The path was clear. There was nothing to trip over. So...how?

"Cisco!" He heard Jesse's voice wrangled with tears and looked up as he saw her running over. "Cisco, my dad, h...he…"

"Jesse...slow down." Cisco said. "What happened?"

She said nothing dragging him toward the house.

Cisco was greeted by a mess, not unlike what he'd seen when they were waiting for the elevator. But if this was the same, then that meant...it had really happened. As he listened to Jesse's harried explanation, he frowned This was insane. "You're...you're sure you checked everywhere right? You called him?"

In answer, Jesse led him to the study where a cellular phone lay face down, and shattered. "It's completely busted."

Cisco knelt down and grabbed the broken mobile. Glass from the screen fell into his hand. "I can fix this." Cisco murmured.

"What good will it do?" Jesse wiped her face.

"Call 911!" Cisco said. "Tell them everything."

Jesse nodded as she grabbed her cell phone, dialing.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So...what do you think? Let me know.**_


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